Labor, Trade, & Finance Archives - Page 91 of 237

All Roads Lead Back to China

by Khadija Sharife | Jun 7, 2011

Ghanaian cocoa, Gabonese iron and Congolese oil have been swapped for construction of dams, allowing Chinese corporations such as Sinohydro to capture the bulk of Africa’s hydropower market. The ‘barter system’ thus enables China to export goods and labour, facilitating for China the opportunity to ‘import’ their recycled project capital in addition to African resources. In the process, China has activated arguably the same ‘Western’ capitalist vehicles of engagement

The Sisyphus of Europe?

by Dominika Kruszewska | Jun 3, 2011

In Greek mythology, King Sisyphus was sentenced to eternal senseless labor as a punishment for insulting the gods. Until the end of time, he must push an enormous stone up the hill only to have it roll back over and over again. Turkey was granted candidate status in December 1999 — 50 years after it first applied for membership — but has managed 12 years later to close only one chapter of the accession negotiations. Despite uphill movement by Ankara, the stone keeps rolling back down again to block Turkey’s entrance to the EU.

All Roads Lead Back to China

by Khadija Sharife | May 24, 2011

Ghanaian cocoa, Gabonese iron and Congolese oil have been swapped for construction of dams (Bui, Poubara, and River Dam), allowing Chinese corporations such as Sinohydro to capture the bulk of Africa’s hydropower market. The ‘barter system’ thus enables China to export goods and labour, facilitating for China the opportunity to ‘import’ their recycled project capital in addition to African resources. In the process, China has activated arguably the same ‘Western’ capitalist vehicles of engagement…

WikiLeaks: Canada’s Harper Embodies American Right’s Worst Tendencies

by Michael Busch | May 17, 2011

Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper, whose Conservative Party took a commanding majority in nationwide elections last week, has built his political success on a platform of his country’s supposed Arctic sovereignty, pro-business economics, and dodging action on climate change.

Are ‘African Lions’ Really Roaring?

by Patrick Bond | May 13, 2011

Patrick Bond makes a stinging critique of the recent report of the African Development Bank that claims that ‘one in three Africans is middle class’ and as a result, Africa is ready for ‘take off’.

Blood on the Trackpads

by Peter Certo | May 12, 2011

It can be a peculiar and rather disquieting sensation to type on a laptop these days. As a personal computing device that is more or less portable, a laptop computer becomes an extension of the human being who hauls it about and operates it. The capabilities of the machine are grafted onto the hardware of the user, even as its constant physical presence renders it almost an appendage. How much truer this becomes in the age of the smart phone, which is more capable, more portable, and ever more affixed to the body that uses it.

Microcredit on Trial: The Sacking of Muhammad Yunus

by Mark Engler | May 10, 2011

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has become the fall guy for microcredit’s abuses by major banks.

Europe’s Crisis and the Pain in Spain

by Conn Hallinan | Apr 27, 2011

If Spain and Italy apply for bailouts, the EU will be split between northern haves and southern have-nots. Can a house so divided long endure?

The Economics of the Arab Spring

by Richard Javad Heydarian | Apr 21, 2011

There’s no doubt the ongoing Middle Eastern revolutions make ample use of democratic slogans, encouraged by the civic spirit of millions that have marched for liberty and equality. Though many factors are contributing to the historic changes that are sweeping across the region, a combination of decades of aggressive economic liberalization and political repression has played a crucial role in mobilizing the masses against the hand of autocracy.

Chinese Take-Over of South America?

by Sebastian Castaneda | Apr 18, 2011

In the wake of Obama’s recent tour of Latin America, media reports and commentators claimed that China has been economically outmuscling the United States in the region. The reality, however, is that Beijing’s economic presence has not come at the expense of the United States. Although Washington still maintains an overwhelming edge, its influence is decreasing. This decline will be exacerbated by Obama’s focus on boosting U.S. exports to the region rather than importing more of Latin America’s manufactured goods.